The skeleton stood at the end of the path. The demon approached slowly, and stopped to listen to the foolish skeleton's final words.
"HALT, HUMAN!" it said. The demon took another step forward. "HEY! QUIT MOVING WHILE I'M TALKING TO YOU! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, HAVE SOME THINGS TO SAY! FIRST: YOU'RE A FREAKING WEIRDO! NOT ONLY DO YOU NOT LIKE PUZZLES, BUT THE WAY YOU SHAMBLE ABOUT FROM PLACE TO PLACE...THE WAY YOUR HANDS ARE ALWAYS COVERED IN DUSTY POWDER...IT FEELS LIKE YOUR LIFE IS GOING DOWN A VERY DANGEROUS PATH. HOWEVER! I, PAPYRUS, SEE GREAT POTENTIAL WITHIN YOU! EVERYONE CAN BE A GREAT PERSON IF THEY TRY! AND ME, I HARDLY HAVE TO TRY AT ALL! NYEH HEH HEH HEH HEH!"
The demon took yet another step forward, relishing in the skeleton's naivety. "HEY, QUIT MOVING! THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT! HUMAN! I THINK YOU ARE IN NEED OF GUIDANCE. SOMEONE NEEDS TO KEEP YOU ON THE STRAIGHT AND NARROW! BUT WORRY NOT! I, PAPYRUS...WILL GLADLY BE YOUR FRIEND AND TUTOR! I WILL TURN YOUR LIFE RIGHT AROUND!"
Now the demon took several more steps. Soon this monster would be just another pile of dust on the ground. "I SEE YOU ARE APPROACHING. ARE YOU OFFERING A HUG OF ACCEPTANCE? WOWIE! MY LESSONS ARE ALREADY WORKING! I, PAPYRUS, WELCOME YOU WITH OPEN ARMS!" Finally, the demon saw their chance. Stepping forward with the glove on their hand, they punched the skeleton with full force, instantly shattering their bones. The skeleton's head fell off, but they caught it with in their hand. "W-WELL, THAT'S NOT WHAT I EXPECTED..." it muttered before it's body turned to dust. The head, however, remained. "BUT...ST...STILL! I BELIEVE IN YOU! YOU CAN DO A LITTLE BIT BETTER! EVEN IF YOU DON'T THINK SO! I...I PROMISE..." That was all the skeleton muttered before the demon stomped on it's skull. Ignoring the feeling of regret they felt deep down, which they knew to be the weak emotions of the other two owners of the soul, they continued down the path to find their next victim.
Chara woke with a start back in the bed in Alphys's bedroom. They had just another dream, but this one they remembered much more clearly then the last one. They could still hear Papyrus's insistence there was good in them as the door opened and Alphys walked in.
"You're awake..." she said.
"What happened?" asked Chara.
"You...passed out," said Flowey, who had just popped out of the floor, "As soon as you saw Papyrus's dust."
"He came back here as quickly as he could to ask me to come help. I looked on the cameras and sure enough, there you were. The River Person got us over there really quickly, and we brought you back here," explained Alphys.
"How long have I been out?"
"A couple of hours. Do you have any idea what happened?"
"Well, kind of," replied Chara. "I think when I saw the dust, I think it triggered a memory of some sort. While I was passed out, I had a dream where I, or rather, my current body, was with Papyrus. He was offering me mercy, and then...that thing...it killed him in cold blood."
"What thing?" inquired Alphys.
"Well, it certainly wasn't me in control, and I don't think it was Frisk. It was, like, some sort of demon or something," explained Chara, "And I don't think Frisk was in control because it felt like they were trying to fight back for control." They looked at the stoic expression on Alphys's face. "You don't believe me do you?"
"Well, it's certainly plausible. You see, there's been a legend that's been passed down through the history of monsters. It tells of a demon that comes when people 'call its name'. Most monsters believe it's a simple fairy tale, but if what you say is true..."
"But, what is its name? Cuthulu?"
"Um, no," she said, "I don't want to necessarily say the name, but the common belief is that it shares a name with, well, you."
"Me? You're telling me the demon's name is-"
"DON'T SAY IT!" shouted Alphys, "If the name summons it, we don't want to be bringing it back. If my suspicions are correct, then the demon is the third inhabitant of your soul. You're in control for now, but saying the name too many times might bring it back, and we'll have no way of stopping it this time."
"So, what do we do?" asked Chara.
"Well, that's the problem. The legend never said how to get rid of the demon,"
"Wait, I have an idea!" exclaimed Flowey, "You've been getting memories in the forms of dreams, right? Well, what if we go and find the dust of the other victims? Papyrus's dust gave you the memory of his death, maybe seeing Undyne's and Mettaton's remains will help you get some more back."
"First off, that's just messed up," replied Chara, "but at the same time, it's a start. Meanwhile, Alphys can be looking for some more information on how to take down the demon."
"Yeah, that works," said Alphys. The three of them agreed that they could set out to where Undyne was defeated the next day. Flowey and Chara wanted to leave right then, but Alphys insisted that Chara should get a little more rest, just to be safe. Reluctantly, Chara went back to sleep as Alphys left to make preparations for their adventure.
Author's note: Well, this was a fun one to write. I'm pretty sure this is actually the longest chapter so far. Hopefully, things will be a little more interesting from here onward. Welp, time to get to work writing the next chapter!